Country Meats

What Country Meats does

Country Meats is a privately held, family-owned manufacturer of smoked snack sticks, founded in 1977 by Jerry Geatches in a retrofitted barn in Ocala, Florida. The company produces handcrafted meat sticks using 85% lean meat and an 18-hour slow-smoking process in a USDA-inspected, SQF-certified facility, with a current portfolio of nine flavors (e.g., Sweet BBQ, Original Smoked Hickory, Pepperoni, Old #9). Products are individually packaged, shelf-stable for approximately one year, and require no refrigeration — packaging and durability are core technical differentiators that enable nationwide, event-driven distribution.

The business model is a wholesale-to-fundraiser model with three monetization channels. The primary channel is the Traditional Fundraiser, in which nonprofits and youth organizations (FFA chapters, scout troops, sports teams, schools) buy cases of 144 sticks plus 10 free at $118 per case ($0.75/stick) and resell at $1.50/stick, retaining a 50% profit margin. The Online Fundraiser channel assigns each organization a custom URL; supporters order online and Country Meats ships directly, with the organization earning $6/$12/$24 commissions by SKU. A Direct E-commerce channel sells to individual consumers via countrymeats.com at $1.56–$2.00/stick with free shipping over $89.

Country Meats' customer base is a long tail of more than 400,000 fundraising groups across all 50 states, with no disclosed enterprise anchor. Marketing relies on owned channels (website, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Instagram, email, live chat, toll-free phone) rather than paid acquisition. Operational scale is small — 11–50 employees — consistent with a founder-led, no-external-funding manufacturer. Key strategic moats are its grassroots distribution network (400,000+ group relationships), 48 years of brand equity (including taste-competition wins), and the network/community effect of community-led fundraising.

Name

Country Meats

Legal name

Country Meats

Website

https://countrymeats.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1977

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Country Meats is a 48-year-old, family-owned Ocala, Florida manufacturer of smoked meat sticks sold primarily for nonprofit fundraising, serving 400,000+ FFA chapters, scout troops, schools, and youth sports teams via traditional cases, online custom-URL fundraisers, and direct e-commerce.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Meat Snack Manufacturing

NAICS

Meat Processed from Carcasses (311612), Animal Slaughtering and Processing (3116), Meat and Meat Product Merchant Wholesalers (42447), Meat Retailers (445240)

SIC

Sausages & Other Prepared Meat Products (2013), Miscellaneous Food Preparations & Kindred Products (2090)

akta.pro primary industry

Smoked Meats & Seafood (Hot/Cold Smoking) (AFANAEAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Ground & Formed Meat Products Manufacturing (Burgers, Sausages, Meatballs) (AFAKALAE), Formed & Restructured Meats (Nuggets, Patties, Logs, Portion-Control) (AFANAEAI), Refrigerated Meat & Seafood (Processed/Packaged) (CRADACAK)

Keywords

• Smoked meat sticks
• Fundraising products
• Snack stick manufacturing
• Meat snacks
• Nonprofit fundraising

Headquarters

HQ city

Ocala

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Traditional Fundraiser Product Sales: Country Meats sells meat sticks to nonprofit fundraising organizations at $0.75 per stick (case of 144 sticks costs $118 including shipping). Fundraising groups then sell sticks to consumers at $1.50 each, earning 50% profit margin ($113 per case). This is the primary revenue stream.
2. Online Fundraising Platform: Online fundraising generates revenue through direct consumer purchases. Supporters order via custom fundraising URLs; Country Meats ships directly. Fundraisers earn $6 per 10 Stick Mini Mix, $12 per 24 Stick Bag, and $24 per 48 Stick Variety Mix. This generates revenue from consumers who may not attend in-person events.
3. Direct Consumer E-commerce: Individual consumers can purchase products directly through the website by supporting a local fundraiser with proceeds. Orders over $89 receive free shipping.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Country Meats manufactures handcrafted smoked meat sticks from 85% lean meat in a USDA-inspected facility in Ocala, Florida, slow-smoked for 18 hours and available in 9 flavors. The company sells its products primarily through fundraising programs for nonprofit organizations (FFA chapters, scout troops, youth sports teams, schools), offering traditional in-person case sales, online fundraising with custom URLs, and brochure-based pre-order campaigns. It also sells directly to consumers through its own e-commerce website.

Product overview

Country Meats is a family-owned business that has operated for 48 years, specializing in handcrafted smoked meat sticks for fundraising. The product portfolio centers on smoked snack sticks made from 85% lean meat, slow-smoked for 18 hours, available in 9 distinct flavors. The company offers three fundraising programs: Traditional Fundraiser (in-person sales with 50% profit margin), Online Fundraiser (custom URL platform for virtual sales), and Brochure Fundraiser (pre-order system). Products are sold in multiple formats including 10 Stick Mini Mix ($20), 24 Stick Bags ($40 each), and 48 Stick Variety Mix ($75). The nine flavors are Sweet BBQ, Sweet Annie Brown, Bold Teriyaki, Hot Cajun Style, Sweet Maple Bacon, Original Smoked Hickory, Pepperoni, Old #9, and Sweet Fire. The company also provides free marketing materials including posters and display boxes.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• 10 Stick Mini Mix Variety pack containing 10 snack sticks in a mix of popular flavors (Sweet Annie Brown, Bold Teriyaki, Hot Cajun Style, Original Smoked Hickory, Sweet BBQ), priced at $20.00. Sold via e-commerce and fundraising channels.
• 24 Stick Bag Single-flavor bag containing 24 snack sticks, priced at $40.00 per bag ($1.67 per stick). Sold to consumers and fundraising groups.
• 48 Stick Variety Mix Comprehensive variety pack containing 48 snack sticks across all 9 flavors (6 sticks each of Sweet BBQ, Sweet Annie Brown, Bold Teriyaki, Original Smoked Hickory, Sweet Maple Bacon, Pepperoni, Old #9, Sweet Fire), priced at $75.00.
• Traditional Fundraiser Case Bulk case of 144 sticks plus 10 free sticks (154 total) sold to nonprofit fundraising organizations at $118 per case including shipping. Groups resell sticks at $1.50 each for a 50% profit margin.
• Online Fundraising Program Virtual fundraising program in which nonprofit organizations receive a custom URL to share online. Supporters order through the link, Country Meats ships directly to customers, and the organization earns $6 per 10 Stick Mini Mix, $12 per 24 Stick Bag, and $24 per 48 Stick Variety Mix.
• Brochure Fundraiser Pre-order fundraiser in which groups download brochure order forms, collect orders and payments from customers, and then place a bulk order with Country Meats for delivery to supporters.

Quantifiable outcome

• Fundraising groups have raised over $200 million through Country Meats products
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Philmont RanchmajorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorLong-term partnership with Philmont Scout Ranch for over a decade, supplying well over 500,000 pepperoni sticks. Philmont is a premier wilderness camping experience for Boy Scouts. The partnership is valued for high product quality, virtually no packaging defects, excellent service, and consistently competitive pricing. Derek from Philmont Ranch provided testimonial praising the partnership as essential to delivering expected wilderness experiences.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Country Archer Provisions: National grass-fed meat-stick and jerky brand with broad grocery and club distribution, competing with Country Meats for premium protein-snack consumers.
• Jack Link's: Largest U.S. meat-snack brand with broad retail distribution of jerky and meat sticks; not focused on fundraising but a benchmark competitor in the protein-snack category Country Meats operates in.
• Tillamook Country Smoker: Established premium meat-stick and jerky brand with mainstream CPG distribution, competing for consumer demand and shelf space in the same smoked-meat-snack category as Country Meats.

Direct peers

• Otis Spunkmeyer: Cookie and dessert dough fundraising brand competing for the same school, sports, and youth-organization fundraising budgets that Country Meats serves, often winning against meat-stick fundraisers.
• Trophy Nut Company: Long-standing fundraiser-focused snack supplier offering nuts, snack mixes, and similar products to schools and youth groups through in-person and online fundraising programs analogous to Country Meats' model.
• Bigwig Fundraising: Online fundraising platform offering snack and food fundraisers to schools and nonprofits, competing head-to-head with Country Meats' online and traditional fundraising motions.
• Grizzly's Premium Snacks: Manufactures beef jerky and meat sticks sold primarily through fundraising and wholesale channels, directly competing with Country Meats in the smoked-snack-stick fundraising category.
• Little Caesars Pizza Kit Fundraising: Pizza-kit fundraising program targeting the same school and youth-group fundraising channel as Country Meats, often chosen as an alternative food fundraiser to meat sticks.
• World's Finest Chocolate: Dominant chocolate-bar fundraising supplier competing for identical nonprofit and school fundraising programs that Country Meats targets with its meat sticks.

Emerging players

• Chomps: Fast-growing premium meat-stick brand positioned on Whole30/paleo nutrition credentials, competing for the same health-conscious snack consumer that Country Meats targets with its high-protein profile.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/countrymeats
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/OfficialCountryMeats
• Facebookfacebook.com/countrymeats
• Instagraminstagram.com/countrymeats
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/country-meats

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Country Meats